[MRVphotog]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

Don't let the politicians (like Shumlin who admits he relies on his mouth rather than brains) kid you, being dependant on Quebec power is going to cause serious issues. The increased rates, lowered reliability, etc. IBM has already commented on it and not in a positive way either. Some major employers will probably pull out of the state if the plant isn't allowed to operate until a replacement is available.

Second, federal law trumps state law here. The Vermont Legislative Circus has little to no say on the matter. I'm almost willing to wager that, barring any major problems popping up at the plant, the plant will be operating past 2012. The NRC hasn't found any significant problems with the reactor. All the politicians/enviro groups were just fear mongering.

I'm not a big Shumlin fan and most Vermonters who have been paying attention base their distrust and position on shutting it down on the numerous incidents and safety issues over the last couple of years, not what policions/enviro groups say.

The land where Maine Yankee just south of Wiscasset is now a park. Some say it glows in the dark I was living in Maine about 30 miles downcoast when they went thru the process. I believe both plants were built about the same time.

[arctichomesteader]

I'd like to see the plant in different hands, I will admit that, and closely monitored. But it's technically safe at this point and can likely operate until a replacement is built. At this point there's no plans for anything to replace it with, we can't be doing that, it's short sighted, and we can't keep buying power from a foreign country.

I have some old uranium glass glassware that glows a nice radioactive green under UV light.

[tkln]

Bringing up this old thread instead of starting a new one...

So in light of what's happening in Japan right now, any chance that something would change and Vermont Yankee would stay open?

[arctichomesteader]

Actually, the fact there hasn't been a Chernobyl in Japan yet after such a massive earthquake then a tsunami says how safe a modern plant is. Vermont doesn't have the threat of major earthquakes or tsunamis or such. The radiation leaked in Japan so far is not a serious threat.

If VT Yankee is shut down there'd better be plans to replace that generation capacity quick. Buying Canadian power is not the solution. Kiss more jobs good bye if that happens.

[PAblackbear]

I live close to Three Mile Island and I don't like Nuclear power plants at all. TMI didn't need an earthquake to start melting down. All it took was carelessness. And no one could say for certain how much actually escaped from TMI in those first few hours. We do have a high cancer rate around here and the two may be connected.

[johnnybc]

Three explosions so far in Japan in the last 4 days, not because of the earthquake but because power went out to the cooling system, no telling yet what the radiation effects will be. The point is the risks are too great and there are easier and safer ways to get electricity. The power companies making money from it is the problem, they would risk the whole human race rather than admit the problems. Time for cleaner energy!

[arctichomesteader]

The power companies will be making more money if we don't have our nuclear plant here...and it'll be going to Canada.

The media fear mongers. So far, the radiation leak hasn't been dangerous. Modern plants are far safer than the older ones (like Three Mile Island). Vermont doesn't get massive earthquakes and tsunamis, either...

[Flashback]

Vermont is famous for "Not In My Backyard".

• No to Vermont Yankee
• No to windmills on Equinox and other mountains
• No to the wood powered biomass generator planned for Pownal

When will Vermonters ever say YES to power generation ?????

[ex-springfielder]

Originally Posted by johnnybc

Three explosions so far in Japan in the last 4 days, not because of the earthquake but because power went out to the cooling system, no telling yet what the radiation effects will be. The point is the risks are too great and there are easier and safer ways to get electricity. The power companies making money from it is the problem, they would risk the whole human race rather than admit the problems. Time for cleaner energy!

Why don't you tell us what the easier and safer ways are of getting power? Burning coal? No...there are hundreds if not thousands of deaths each year from coal mining to say nothing of the polution. Hydro? No...we would have to dam all the rivers and ruin the ecosystems and dams have been known to break. Wind? Nope again...it will kill thousands or millions of birds and no one wants a wind mill in their back yard...especially in Vermont, and the wind doesn't always blow. Maybe we can burn oil, but that's expensive and getting worse and sooner or later it will run out. Solar? Very inefficient and costly to manufacture. I wonder what those easier and safer ways are?

Why don't we just build the nuclear power plants on ships and connect them with lines to the grid on land. Big ships on water aren't effected by tsunamis or earthquakes. The navy has pretty good luck with their nuclear powered ships.

[johnnybc]

My buddy just put a nice little solar panel in his back yard near Burlington which quietly produces about 3 times as much electricity as he can use, puts the excess back on the grid for others to use. One problem; the power company doesn't make any money off him. I think if the power companies put the money they use to lobby politicians to falsely advertise the "safety" of nuclear and coal into solar research and infrastructure, it would become efficiient very quickly.
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